New Caps Player Profile: Jack Hillen
The NHL Lockout is over, and in the days leading up to a much-anticipated training camp, we will be profiling the newest members of the Washington Capitals organization. On Tuesday, Joey Crabb was up. Today, we profile Jack Hillen.
Date of Birth: January 24, 1986
Place of Birth: Minnetonka, Minnesota
Age: 26
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 190 Pounds
Position: D
Pro career:
|
Season |
Team |
League |
Gms |
G |
A |
P |
PIM |
|
2007-08 |
New York Islanders |
NHL |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
|
2008-09 |
New York Islanders |
NHL |
40 |
1 |
5 |
6 |
16 |
|
2008-09 |
Bridgeport Sound Tigers |
AHL |
33 |
4 |
13 |
17 |
31 |
|
2009-10 |
New York Islanders |
NHL |
69 |
3 |
18 |
21 |
44 |
|
2010-11 |
New York Islanders |
NHL |
64 |
4 |
18 |
22 |
45 |
|
2011-12 |
Nashville Predators |
NHL |
55 |
2 |
4 |
6 |
20 |
|
2012-13 |
Washington Capitals |
NHL |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
|
NHL |
230 |
10 |
46 |
56 |
129 |
Many a Caps fan was surprised when George McPhee decided to ink Jack Hillen to a one-year, one-way contract this summer.
While the price was great—just $650,000 for a 26-year-old veteran of 230 NHL games—Hillen might not be more than just another name to add to a list of bottom-two defensemen that already includes John Erskine, Jeff Schultz, prospect Cam Schilling, and maybe even the injured Tom Poti.
Hillen, perhaps best known among Caps fans for an Alex Ovechkin slapshot on January 26, 2010, which broke the Minnesotan’s jaw and left him without several teeth, adds a decent two-way mind to the Caps blueline. A good skater with a terrific outlet pass and solid offensive play, Hillen can be a factor offensively, though his relatively small stature and lack of physical bite has left him struggling to regularly hold down a place in the NHL.
It remains to be seen if Hillen will be able to nail down a spot in the Caps bottom-four, but he will definitely become a valuable depth defenseman for the group down the stretch.
